Forger Finesse
by TheImmortalChaplin
Summary: A game of poker is always a winning situation for a Forger like Eames. But when a woman from his past shows up, the devil in disguise, as he liked to think of her, things don't go exactly the way Eames had planned. Eames-OC
1. Chapter 1

**So I had written a few chapters for this story, but I decided to edit, rewrite, and repost. Some of you may recognize a few of these chapters, but I had decided to sorta take it in a different direction and see how this goes. **

**-I didn't give much detail into Eames and the OC's past relationship for this first chapter, but don't worry about any confusion, bits will be revealed throughout the chapters! I tried to create the OC to be kind of like a female-version of Eames and because he is so awesome, I thought it'd be fun to mess with his character a bit. All in good fun ;)**

**Please read and let me know what you think of chapter 1! **

**(Rated T: for some language) **

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Eames collected his newest winnings, a large, over-confident grin flashing onto his features. His pile of poker chips grew even larger as his opponents angrily threw their cards down, getting up from their seats as they shot glares at the Englishman.

"You're a crook, Eames." One shot at him, gulping the remainder of his drink before slamming the glass down and stomping off.

"Hate the game, not the player, darling." Eames called after him, a wicked smile on his face. He began neatly stacking his chips, very satisfied as he calculated the amount of his winnings. _Ah, life was sweet._

Still feeling the thrill of his victory, Eames didn't notice a body sit down across from him. "How about one more game, darling." A female voice spoke, clearly mocking his English accent, as she set down a stack of her own chips. The voice caught Eames by surprise, his gaze shot up and he stared at the woman completely dumbfounded before his features turned to complete anger.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing here woman?" He managed to keep his voice low enough as he whispered in a harsh tone to keep himself from shouting and making a scene.

The woman sat unfazed as she nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders, looking at him calmly before taking her time to answer him, "Just here to win some money. Aren't we all?" She let out a sweet little laugh before looking innocently at the dealer, "Can we begin please?"

Eames clenched his fists, anger almost coming to a boiling point as he saw straight through the woman's façade. She was not sweet, she was not innocent, _she_ was the bloody devil in disguise that was specifically put on this earth to make his life a living hell.

"What's the matter Eamesie-boy? Afraid to get beat by a girl?" Her voice still held the faux air of sweetness. Eames shot her a glare before looking at the dealer, "deal the bloody cards." He scowled back at the woman.

"Oh! Five Card Draw, please." She giggled at the dealer just before he started dealing out the cards. "We don't usually play that here, miss." The dealer spoke but the woman simply waved him off, "Eames here won't mind. Besides, lady's choice right?" She threw a wink at Eames' direction and he just about lost it. And not in a sense that he would have lost it if any other woman would have given him a flirtatious wink; no, this woman made him want to reach across the table and slap that cheerful smug look right off her face. Now that he thought about it, that wouldn't be such a bad idea.

"I hope to bloody hell you're not stalking me now, woman." Eames broke the silence after a few moments as the dealer began to pass out the cards.

"You know, I have a name. Or did all that alcohol kill your brain-cells and make you forget?" She purposely asked just as Eames took a drink of his whiskey. "But I guess it's not like you had many to begin with." She added in a mumble, but knowing very well that Eames had heard her as he scowled at her, setting the glass back on the table a little more forcefully than necessary.

"Don't think I don't know what you're doing, _Raylie._" He added her name to satisfy her, almost spitting it like it gave him a bad taste in his mouth. But for him, it most certainly did. The woman, known as Raylie, gave him an unconvinced look as Eames continued, his voice going back to a harsh whisper, "You may think you're being cute, but I have _always _been better than you, sweetheart. You and I both know that, so don't try and kid yourself." He held back a chuckle as he picked up his hand of cards, a satisfied smirk now on his face as he placed a small stack of his chips on the middle of the table, adding to the blind bet they had both started with. There was no need to hide behind a poker face when he was dealing with someone like her. In this game, luck and strategy didn't matter for the two of them. It was all about skill, and Eames knew he had always been better. He couldn't wait to see the humiliated look on her face when she lost. He only wished he had a camera to capture the moment.

She laid out a stack of her own chips, matching his bet before discarding two cards to the dealer so she could get two more. In reality she didn't need to discard any cards, but it never hurt to put on for the show.

"Eames dear," She began as she slid her arm across the table over to him, giving an affectionate touch on his hand then sliding her hand away before he had the chance to slap it away, "You must really be dreaming if you believe that." She gave him a smirk of her own before picking up her two new cards.

Eames glared at her, if only looks could kill. He knew very well he wasn't dreaming. He didn't even need to look at his totem to know that fact. This was as real as reality could get…she was just fucking with him.

"I'll raise you." She told him as she placed an even larger stack of chips in the pool. He gave her a mocking smirk as he put his own chips in, his bet larger than hers.

"All in?" She challenged him; the two stared down one another before both pushed all their chips to the middle of the table.

Any normal person would have been a complete idiot to make such a bet with the hand that Raylie had. _A two of hearts, a ten of spades, a seven of hearts, a queen of clubs, and a five of diamonds. _Complete crap; but not to someone with her skill. In the blink of an eye, two of the cards slowly shifted, one becoming a king of hearts, and the other a king of spades. She smirked inwardly at her handy-work. A pair of kings wouldn't normally win a game of poker against someone like Eames, and she could have just as easily made it so she held a full house or even a royal flush, but really, there was no need to brag. Especially since she very well knew Eames held nothing better in his hand than what her original cards had been.

Eames sat across from her, a smug expression graced his face because he in fact held a straight flush in his hands. "You look a little worried, love." He mocked her, not knowing that she was faking the anxious expression which now appeared on her face. "You wish I was you crooked bastard." She retorted, any sweetness her voice had held earlier was completely gone. Nothing irritated her more than an overly smug Eames.

Eames smirked at her reply before adding one more blow, "Let's up the stakes shall we? If I win, then we go around back, you get on your knees and put that mouth of yours to some good use." He gave her a suggestive grin, a wicked gleam in his eyes.

The remark caught her off guard, but she quickly regained her composure and shot back, "and if I win, you get on your knees and kiss my fucking ass." She remarked, her voice now venom as the Englishman chuckled, "You always were a hothead weren't you, darling?"

"Just lay your damn cards down." She mumbled in an annoyed tone, but really she couldn't wait to see the look on Eames' face when she won. "Ladies first." He motioned for her to lay her cards down.

"A pair of kings?" he asked in almost disbelief before letting out a laugh. "That's the best you could do? Oh sweetheart, I knew you were bad, but I didn't think you were _that _bad." His face held false sympathy before laughing some more. Wiping a tear from his eye he continued, "You better run along and meet me out back." He grinned as he laid his cards face up, his gaze never leaving Raylie's face.

He watched as she sat there, an unreadable expression on her face, and he had to admit, he was a little disappointed to see no look of anguish or humiliation. Just one of content.

"And the winnings go to the lady." The dealer spoke as he pushed the chips in Raylie's direction as her features turned to that of satisfaction. Eames shot a disbelieving look to the dealer as he quickly spoke, "What the bloody hell? She has a pair and I have a straight flu-" His words were cut short as he looked down at the cards he had played. _A three of clubs, six of diamonds, eight of clubs, jack of hearts, nine of spades._

How the hell had that happened? He racked his mind for an answer, the last time he had looked at his cards he had indeed had a straight flush, but when he set them down, his cards were complete shit. That's when it hit him. _Raylie._ She had reached her hand over before touching his hand only a split second, but that's all it took to shift his cards. His gaze quickly shot up, seeing the woman stare back at him, arms crossed, an amused smile tugging at her lips and a mocking gleam in her eye. She _was _good.

"Looks like you're not so good after all, huh Eames?" A regular card player had said as he walked by, giving Eames a sympathetic pat on the shoulder before letting out a laugh.

Eames ignored the man, a death glare focused on the woman in front of him, his anger about to go over the edge.

The two Forgers stared at one another a second longer before Eames slammed his fist on the table and shot up from his chair. He pointed an accusing finger at Raylie, "You conniving little bitch!"

She only smirked as she stared up at him. Her voice mocking a false English-accent as she spoke, "Remember, hate the game, not the player, love."

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**Hope you enjoyed! Oh how fun to beat Eames at his own game. It was originally just a one-shot, but I got so many ideas that I had to make it a story. So in the upcoming chapters, you'll learn more of their relationship. More to come soon! Please review and let me know what you think of this one. Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2! Thanks to ILuvOdie for reviewing! Hope you enjoy.

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Raylie stared amused at the irritated Brit in front of her. "Give me my chips back." He demanded as she stacked her winnings. "I won them fair and square." She retorted nonchalantly. "You cheated!" He pointed an accusing finger at her only getting a smirk in response. "Settle down, it's not like you can't easily get your hands on some more." She gave the fellow Forger a knowing look as he let out an exasperated sigh, but seemed to calm somewhat. "That's not the point." He continued in a low whisper, not wanting people to overhear. "It's the principal of the matter. You snuck in a cheap shot."

It was Raylie's turn to let out a sigh, "You're just mad that you lost to me. If the roles were reversed, you'd be bragging your ass off and you know it. Now, Mr. Eames, let's not make any more of a scene. Why don't we head to the bar?"

He eyed her suspiciously for a moment, debating on whether or not he wanted to continue to talk with her. He had to admit, he was a bit curious why she was here, of course he would never admit that to her though. "You better be buying. Half of that is still mine you know." He gestured to the poker chips as she let out a little laugh, standing from her seat she collected her winnings before leading the way to the bar. "Shall we?"

Eames followed, somewhat reluctantly. He should have just walked away right then and there. He had told himself he didn't want anything more to do with this girl, but for some reason she tracked him down all the way in Africa, so maybe it was at least worth hearing what she had to say. Only maybe.

They found seats at the bar, and both ordered a drink. Raylie remained uncharacteristically quiet and Eames let out an annoyed sigh. He knew she was waiting for him to say the first words. Raylie was already getting under his skin, after all, she was the one who needed to talk to him, and so she should be the one to break the bloody conversation ice.

"How'd you find me?" Eames gave in and was the first to speak, giving the bartender a slight nod as the drinks were set down in front of them. Raylie picked up her own glass, deliberately taking her time to answer as she took a drink, savoring the flavor. "Well it's pretty simple. I just checked the usual places you run off to when you want to lay low." She told him like it was the most obvious answer. Eames, however, found it a little hard to believe considering he had many places that he liked to 'lay low' in. Some of the places being hundreds of miles away from each other. "Are you serious?" He still could never be sure with her. "I don't know, am I?" She retorted, giving him a playful smile before taking another sip, a mischievous gleam in her eye as she watched him.

Eames took a large swig from his own glass. He was going to need quite a few more drinks to be able to get through this conversation. "What do you want?" He asked bluntly, getting right to the point in order to decide whether or not he was wasting his time here.

"Just wanted to see you." She replied innocently enough with a slight shrug of her shoulders. Eames almost snorted at the response, "Darling, you and I both know that's a load of bollocks."

"I never understood you or your British 'bollocks,' but I did come to ask for your help." She finally confessed, her eyes watching him very carefully for any reaction. His laughter filled her ears, telling her everything she needed to know, "I think you've been dreaming a little too much sweetheart if you think I'm the person to help you." He couldn't believe she would even ask such a thing, especially from him. She would be the last person on this Earth that he would offer to help.

"I haven't dreamt in a long time." She glared at him, her tone completely serious. He ignored her glare, as well as the comment, and continued, "Well humor me then, what did you need my help with? Wait! Let me guess…have another run in with some 'organized crime' dealers?" Her silence was told him everything, even if he had been joking. The Englishman couldn't help but break out into more laughter, "Oh god woman, you're so unbelievable! You're putting my reputation to shame. You really are. But I can tell you right now that I'm not helping you one bit. Not even if you got down on your knees and begged, love. Not with our history. You should've already suspected as much."

Raylie sighed, half-expecting his answer to be just that. "Ok, well it was worth a shot…but the real reason I'm here is to fetch you. Cobb has another job." This threw Eames completely off guard, something he wasn't very used to. One story after another kept pouring out her mouth and it was hard to determine just what to believe anymore. He should've known better though, after all, it was a lie that tore them apart in the first place.

"Just what are you playing at?" He demanded, anger coming back into his voice as he was tired of being fucked around with. "Why are you really here? The truth, Raylie. Because you're lucky you even persuaded me to sit here with you." He wasn't the kind to lose his temper so quickly in normal circumstances. He was usually level-headed, at least when he was sober, and always the smooth-talker. He wasn't pleased to have the rug pulled out from under him and the roles reversed.

"Cobb is really the reason I'm here." She finally stated after gulping down the last of her drink, and apparently not noticing how irritated she had made the man sitting before her. Either that, or she simply didn't care. "Then what's with the phony story?" He questioned, still not knowing why she couldn't have simply got to the point in the beginning of their conversation and saved him from the headache.

"No, that was real too. If you had agreed to be a gentleman and help a poor damsel in distress then I probably would've just blown Cobb off, but since you'd rather be an asshole, Cobb needs you for a job." He couldn't believe the woman's audacity. She never ceased to amaze him and always gave him a run for his money (this time even in a literal sense).

"Then please, dear damsel" he began, his words dripping sarcasm, "tell me why in the world would he send you? Why would he send _you_ if he was serious on me taking the job that is. He could have very well came himself. Cobol isn't on his tail anymore, not like it stopped him before though." He tipped back his glass one more time before setting it back on the counter signaling for the bartender for a refill. "I volunteered." She said smugly, eyeing the man she had once called a friend. It almost saddened her to think their relationship was ruined beyond repair…_almost_.

"Of course you did." He replied, "He couldn't stay away could he? And apparently you couldn't either." He met her gaze, his features stone-like as he meant to hold a sense of indifference for the girl. He wasn't about to tear down the wall he had built just because she decided to show up, especially wearing an outfit like that… He let his eyes linger down to a little exposed cleavage she had been showing. There was no harm in simply looking right? It wasn't going to fix anything between them anyways. He quickly snapped his gaze back to her face; the alcohol was getting to him. That was the only explanation. Her voice snapped him back into reality, the sound making him remember how much he loathed her.

"Well I would have gone on your guys' last mission but uh…I was little too busy refreshing my knowledge of the judicial system." She told him cryptically, but her meaning was obvious. She had been sitting in jail. "When I say you couldn't stay away, I'm not talking about the dream world, love." He replied with an arrogant smirk, his tongue licking his lips subtly as his hand held his drink, swishing its contents slowly. Raylie scoffed, "You're still full of yourself." There had been a point in her life where a comment like that would have made her weak in the knees, but those days were long gone.

"Then tell me, why does Cobb need another Forger if he's already got you on board?" Eames asked, but already knowing the answer as his eyes held a teasing gleam. Raylie sighed, "You know perfectly well, Eames." Eames raised his eyebrows as he faked a surprised look. A moment later he appeared to be deep in thought, as if trying to recall the bit of information he supposedly knew. "Hmmm…it seems as if you need to refresh my memory, love." He was simply mocking her now. She wasn't stupid.

"Piss off Eames." She replied irritably as she turned her attention to the other customers in the bar, her stubbornness not allowing her to tell him what he wanted to hear. "Well apparently I'm not needed since Cobb already has a skilled Forger such as yourself. You'll have to tell him that I respectively decline."

Eames was beginning to remind her just how much of an asshole he really was. And to think he always tried to put on such a charming gentleman act for the ladies. But of course she knew very well he was just playing it down especially for her. She also knew that he wasn't going to decline Cobb's job offer, he just needed her to humiliate herself first.

"Cobb needs someone who can forge people." She muttered quieter than usual as a scowl graced her features. "And?" Eames egged her on as a very amused smile formed on his face. "And he needs you because I can't forge people." She said very quickly through gritted teeth, "As you very well know…"

Eames let out a victorious chuckle. "Well then sweetheart, you're just in luck because I'm currently seeking employment." He gave her a pat on the back, a little harder than necessary as he gulped down the remainder of his drink, the smile never leaving his face.

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So what did you think? I know it's probably still very confusing with Eames and Raylie's relationship, but I assure you that I'm doing that on purpose. What fun would it be if I told you everything up front? It's obvious they have history, but I think it's more interesting to reveal bits as the chapters progress. I'm hoping that Raylie's character is ok. Eames is such a smug, yet intelligent character, and I thought it was fun to create kind of like a female-version of Eames to challenge him. If that makes any sense at all? Lol. Both of them are so alike that they can easily get under each others' skins and know exactly what buttons to push. Hope you are enjoying. Would love to hear from you! Good or bad comments are completely appreciated, so please review. Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

**I really do appreciate those who have either reviewed or story alerted this. It lets me know that at least someone is reading this. Lol. This chapter is mostly a flashback towards the beginning of Eames and Raylie's acquaintance with each other. Hope you enjoy! As always, reviews are amazing...**

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**Four Years Earlier:**

Hunched over her work table, Raylie concentrated hard on the several typed papers that were scattered before her. Pencil in hand, she circled various words, drawing arrows from them to other parts of the paper before getting frustrated and erasing previous marks she had made.

She let out a sigh as she rubbed a hand over her face. This job was becoming more frustrating than it was worth, but she had to push through it. They were going into The Mark's dream in a matter of days and she needed to know these papers inside and out in order for the mission to be a success.

Raylie tapped the pencil on the table in annoyance as she stared at each of the papers in front of her. Leave it to Cobb to pick the challenging cases.

"You concentrate any harder and you're going to give yourself an ulcer." A voice laced with an English accent spoke from behind her. She immediately turned, a small smile playing on her lips, "Do you even know what an ulcer is, Eames?"

He was leaning in the doorway, standing in silence for a moment before speaking, "Of course I do." He scoffed as Raylie raised an eyebrow in suspicion, "Let me guess, medical terminology is also not one of your specialties?"

"It looks like you need a break." He quickly changed the subject as he stepped into the room.

"So I take it you've already mastered what you need to do for this mission?" Raylie asked as she finally pulled away from her own work. "I am a genius you know." He replied arrogantly as he gave her a joking smile.

"Yeah, you and your ulcers, genius boy." She replied with a lighthearted laugh. "But in all seriousness," Eames began, ignoring her comeback, "I have finished my part of the mission, so I needed someone to harass."

Raylie shot him an 'I-knew-it' look before responding, "Arthur doesn't satisfy you anymore?" She asked, fully knowing how wrong it had sounded.

"Arthur, the lovely dear, threw a book at me the moment I walked into the room." He replied, a fake look of hurt on his face before adding cheerfully, "So it looks like it's your lucky day."

She couldn't help but crack a smile. It seemed like she wasn't the only one getting frustrated on the job if Arthur was already throwing inanimate objects. It also made her smile that Eames had tracked her down because she had been waiting all day for the opportunity to show him what she had found out.

"So I learned a new fighting move the other day." She told him, not being able to hold her excitement. If anyone appreciated a good fight, it was Eames. He perked up an eyebrow in interest, "That's wonderful. How does it go?"

"Well, you have to get your opponent on the ground, and when you're on him, you take his right arm and extend it over his-" She began to explain, talking a mile a minute before Eames interrupted with a chuckle, "Why don't you show me, love."

Raylie grinned at the man before her. She could always count on him to be fully interested in something like this. When she had tried to explain it to Cobb, he had simply nodded, telling her it sounded like a good move, before going back to his work. Only someone like Eames would care enough to ask to have it shown to him.

Eames moved closer to her so they were only a few feet apart, "So you first have to get your opponent on the ground huh?" He asked as Raylie nodded. "Ok then, take me to the ground." He told her, an amused gleam in his eye as he couldn't wait to see how someone her size would even begin to over-power and take down someone like him, being almost twice that.

"Well my plan was to just kick the guy in the jewels and once he was bent forward, grab his neck and pull him the rest of the way down." She shrugged, figuring it would be better to warn Eames of her plan before following through with something like that. She almost laughed when the amusement fell from his face and he took a slight step back.

"How about we just pretend you did all that and I'll just lie down." He said, and she couldn't know for sure, but it almost sounded as if there was a little worry in his voice. She smiled at him, "Sounds good."

And with that, Eames got to his knees before laying flat on his stomach. "No, flip over and lay on your back." Raylie told him as Eames raised an eyebrow before doing as he was instructed, "Like this?" He questioned as she nodded, "Yep." She told him before sitting down on his stomach, her legs on either side of him as she grabbed his wrists. "So if I have your right arm pinned here…" She began to demonstrate, placing his arm across his chest, him giving her a grunt in response to show that he was following along. "And then take your left arm and place it here, I could easily dislocate your shoulder if I applied pressure. But you see, you wouldn't be able to get out of the hold before I did that because-"

"Oh for the love of-Seriously?" A voice interrupted, snapping Raylie's attention over to Arthur who now stood in the doorway, a genuine look of disgust on his face, "This is a place of work, not a brothel." She gave him a look of confusion, not realizing how suggestive the situation looked with her on top of Eames, straddling him. She looked back down at Eames, only to have him grinning like a Cheshire cat at Arthur.

Raylie's eyes widened as the realization hit her. She quickly scrambled to get off of Eames, straightening herself as the mischievous Brit stood as well.

"Why must you ruin all the fun in this place?" Eames asked Arthur before Raylie could say the first word. "No, no. I was just showing him a fighting hold…" She quickly backpedaled, Eames not backing her up, just standing there with a goofy grin plastered on his face.

"Cobb wanted to see you for a moment. Sorry to interrupt." Arthur replied sarcastically, explaining the reason he was there, but sounding clearly unconvinced at her excuse.

"Seriously. It's not what you think." She told Arthur a final time as she started to leave the room. Arthur merely nodded, eyebrows raised doubtfully.

"Oh, and Raylie. About that hold…" Eames' voice made Raylie stop and turn as he continued, "For future reference, I like to be on top." He gave her a cocky wink as Raylie scowled, her face turning red from embarrassment as she turned to walk off, "You're a bastard." She called back to him. "Ah, but you love it." He replied with a chuckle just before she walked out of sight.

"You are despicable Mr. Eames." Arthur told him once Raylie was gone. "Don't fret love, you'll find yourself a good man one of these days." Eames retorted, patting him on the back as Arthur shot him a glare, "Very funny."

"She is quite the firecracker though." Eames spoke after a few moments of silence, his tone seeming distracted as his mind was lost in his own thoughts.

Raylie found Cobb moments later, "You wanted to see me?" She asked as Cobb turned to look at her, "You seem quite happy about something." He spoke, observing the smile on her lips. Raylie quickly cleared her throat and any thoughts of the over-confident Englishman. She wiped the smile from her features and continued in a serious tone, "It's nothing…"

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**Present:**

"Well I'm sure Cobb will be thrilled to know you've accepted." She told Eames as she placed money on the bar counter to pay for the drinks. Standing up from the barstool, she continued, "I'll meet you in the front of the Kohinoor Hotel at noon tomorrow and we can then go to the airport. Your ticket has already been bought." She kept her tone professional, ignoring the Brit giving her a quick look-over. "Is that where you're staying tonight?" He asked, sounding as innocent as possible as he took his eyes away from her, turning to look at the other patrons of the bar.

"That's hardly your concern." She spat back at him, already knowing where this was going. Eames raised his eyebrows before turning back to her, "No need to get defensive. It's not like you have to hide anything from me anymore." The comment seemed innocent enough, but Raylie caught the malice in his tone. She was about to just walk off and ignore him, but he had a way of infuriating her. Bending down close to him, their faces became only a foot apart as she brought her voice down to a harsh whisper, "I have apologized countless times to you. I don't know what you want me to do. I can't go back and change what I did, but I sure as hell am not going to go through life feeling guilty about it." The two glared at each other for several moments before Eames finally spoke, keeping his anger in check as he decided to let it go for now, but the irritation was clear in his voice, "I can hardly wait to see your bright and shiny face tomorrow, sweetheart." With that, he turned back to the bar, signaling for another drink.

With an annoyed sigh, Raylie left the bar without another word. The sun had already set as she walked down the streets of Mombasa, still annoyed with what had happened. Not paying attention to anything around her, Raylie turned down an alleyway on her way back to the hotel. As soon as she turned, footsteps caught up with her and before she could do anything, she felt the hard barrel of a gun pressed into her back.

"You're a hard woman to get a hold of." A cold voice sneered into her ear as she froze at the sound of the gun cocking.

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**Uh oh. Looks like someone is in a little bit of a pickle. I plan to do more flashbacks in coming chapters to mix things up with a little past and a little present. Don't worry, things with their relationship will be explained soon enough. Hope you like! Send me some love, reviews are awesome! Thanks!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks a whole bunch to those who have either reviewed, story alerted, or favored. You make my day! :D Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Rated T for language**

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"Hands on the wall." The gunman said menacingly, pushing Raylie against a brick wall, who in turn placed her palms on the wall.

"You owe my boss a lot of money." He continued, standing very close behind her, gun still pointed on her back. Despite this, she couldn't help but roll her eyes, "Umm…you're going to have to be a little more specific…There are several people who seem to think I own them something." Whether or not she did in fact owe anyone any money was open for debate, depending on which side of things you looked at.

"Look, I'm not here to play games with you girlie. If you're not gunna pay with cash, then you'll pay with your life." The sound of the gun cocking was enough to tell that this guy was being serious. Raylie let out an inaudible sigh. She never was much one for begging and pleading, but she'd do anything to stay alive…even if her ego was to be bruised momentarily.

But this wasn't her first time being threatened either. Hell, in her line of work, it was pretty much part of the job description. Even so, she couldn't help if her heart beat a bit faster or her palms became sweaty…there was a gun pressed into her back for god sakes; no one was _that _fearless.

"Look, I've got a new job. It's a real good payout once it's done. I'll have your boss's money plus interest. I just need another week." Talking herself out of situations was always one of her fortes; Raylie just hoped this guy was a big enough idiot to buy the shit she was feeding him. Sure, part of the story was true –She did have a new job, thanks to Cobb…she just didn't have any intention of paying any goon back. Simply wasn't her style.

The man smirked mockingly behind her, making sure to push the gun even more uncomfortably into the small of her back. "I'm not an idiot…"

_Damn._ Raylie thought; well it had been worth the shot.

"You either pay now, or die here. Your choice." He spat as Raylie realized now would be a good time for the panic to really set in.

"I think you should leave the lady alone." A new voice spoke and Raylie was surprised to hear it belonged to Eames. The sound of a new gun cocking was heard and because her cheek was practically kissing the brick wall, blocking a good view of things, Raylie assumed Eames had his own gun on the goon.

"This doesn't concern you, Limey." The man snarled as Eames grew even more frustrated. Taking his gun off the man momentarily, he shot off his gun at the ground to show that he wasn't fucking around either.

The sound of the unexpected gunshot caused not only Raylie to nearly jump out of her skin, but she could feel the goon get shaken up as well. _Ha! Serves ya right._

"Now back the bloody hell up." Eames' voice was now like venom as he pointed his gun back at the man.

"Fuck, ok, ok. But let me tell you, this isn't over. You still owe us money and we're gunna get it." The man spoke matter-of-factly like he still had control over the situation, so Eames shot off another round, aimed close to the guy's feet. The man quickly scrambled away from Raylie, spitting at the ground before him and giving the Brit one last look of contempt before he hurried off.

"Hmph." Raylie groaned in annoyance as she pushed herself off of the wall and brushed off her clothes. She gave a quick nod to Eames before walking off with the intent of going back to her hotel room.

"Is that all the thanks I get?" Eames called after her; if he hadn't known her so well, he might have been offended at the girl's audacity.

"I didn't ask for your help." She called back to him as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Eames felt a slight twitch of irritation before following after her. "Hey! I didn't _have _to save you. I did it out of the kindness of my heart. So the least you could do is pretend to be grateful." The annoyance was very much evident in the Brit's voice, but Raylie waved him off as the two now fell into step with one another. "Yea yea, thanks. But you know perfectly well I could have gotten myself out of that situation." She told him indifferently as Eames snorted in disbelief.

"Yeah, you still think you're invincible don't you sweetheart? So why don't you just pay those people back? It's not like you couldn't get the money or anything. And it seems like it would get rid of all this trouble." Eames asked as Raylie responded, "I have standards. I don't like giving my money to anybody." Eames couldn't help but chuckle; and people said that _he_ had an ego.

"Why exactly are you following me?" Raylie changed the subject as Eames let out another chuckle, "It would appear that you owe me a drink." He told her matter-of-factly as Raylie finally looked at him, eyebrow raised in confusion. "I already bought you a drink at the bar you damn Limey." She replied, purposely using the derogatory word the gunman had used for him, actually finding a bit of humor in it.

"_Haahaa._" He replied sarcastically before continuing, "And the first drink was a bribe so I would come listen to what you had to say. This second drink is for me saving your bloody life, you damn Yankee." Two could play at that game.

Raylie let out a defeated sigh, after all, it was only _one _drink. "Fine. But one drink. That's it. Then you're leaving." Eames smirked as he nodded in agreement.

_-Eames_: 1 -_Bloody Yankee_: 0.

The pair made it back to Raylie's hotel room, Eames heading straight for the mini bar as Raylie sat on the bed, pulling off her heels. The cutest shoes were always the ones that were the most painful. She rolled her eyes at Eames' enthusiasm for the mini bar as he stood, back turned to her, mixing a drink.

"You know, you can take the drink to go." She told him, not caring to be in his presence much longer. Eames turned around at the sound of her voice, a charming smile on his face as he held two drinks in his hands. "Now where would the fun be in that?" Eames replied, offering her one of the drinks. Raylie looked at him in surprise that he would actually make the effort to mix one up for her, before taking the drink from him.

Eames took a seat on the edge of the bed, sipping his drink as he savored the flavor. "This is nice." He spoke as he stared at a painting that was hung on the wall of the hotel room. Raylie wasn't sure if he was talking about the painting, the drink, or just the fact that the two were sitting in a quiet room together. She very much doubted the latter.

"Wouldn't you agree?" He asked, finally turning his attention towards her. She stared at him for a few moments, not sure how to answer, so she gave a quick shrug and responded, "Yea, I guess."

At her reply, Eames turned back to the painting, "Too bad it never lasted eh?"

At his question, Raylie let out a sigh of frustration, knowing very well what he was talking about now. She didn't want to discuss any of their past relationship; Raylie knew that he was still bitter, so the fact that he was bringing it up now told Raylie that he was probably about to make an ass of himself to try and humiliate her. "Look, it's getting late. I think it's time you go now." She told him, changing the subject.

Eames, however, wasn't ready to leave or change the subject, "Who did you love more?" He asked disdainfully before turning to face her once more.

"Oh for the love of god! I'm not having this conversation with you!" Raylie replied in aggravation. Eames always had the worst timing with things. "Are you just saying that because you truly don't know, or are you guilty because you know the answer and can't bring yourself to say it?" Eames said as he gave her a challenging expression.

Raylie rolled her eyes in response, "You're such a fucking bastard. You need to leave, now!" She stood from her bed, but quickly having to sit back down because standing up so suddenly made her feel woozy. Eames smirked at her reaction and Raylie narrowed her eyes at him, "What did you do?" She asked, pointed a finger at him accusingly.

It was Eames' turn to stand as he towered over the now sitting Raylie, taking her almost empty drink from her hand. "There's one rule you should always remember love, 'that there are two types of people never to accept a drink from: a stranger, or a man you've wronged.'" He told her as she gave him her best death glare, the feeling of sleep suddenly about to take over, "Cobb only needs one Forger and it's gunna be me. Sleep tight, sweetheart." Eames placed a light kiss on her forehead as Raylie fought to keep her eyes open. "God damn motherfucking Brit." She managed to mumble as slumber finally overcame her. Eames chuckled,

_-Eames_: 2 -_Yankee with very unlady-like language_: 0.

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**Ohh, that sneaky Eames! Lol. You all are being very patient with their relationship history. It's gunna be explained slowly, and more flashbacks to come in the next chapter. I'm doing it this way for a reason! Hope you don't mind. ;P Lol.**

**Please please review! Always makes me super excited! Haaha. Oh! And I was wondering if you guys would like to give some input on some possible ideas that could be Raylie's totem because they will be going into the dreamworld very soon. I was just planning on using something very simple and kinda boring, but if you had a good idea, let me know! It would be much appreciated! :D Thanks again!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I want to apologize for the long wait for this chapter. This quarter has been the busiest one that I've ever had…But good news, I only have one week left before winter break. WOOO! **

**I hope there are at least a couple people still interested in this story? Yes, no, maybe?…**

**This chapter has several flashback snippets. Hope you enjoy!**

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**Recap: **Raylie rolled her eyes in response, "You're such a fucking bastard. You need to leave, now!" She stood from her bed, but quickly having to sit back down because standing up so suddenly made her feel woozy. Eames smirked at her reaction and Raylie narrowed her eyes at him, "What did you do?" She asked, pointed a finger at him accusingly.

It was Eames' turn to stand as he towered over the now sitting Raylie, taking her almost empty drink from her hand. "There's one rule you should always remember love: 'there are two types of people never to accept a drink from: a stranger, or a man you've wronged.'" He told her as she gave him her best death glare, the feeling of sleep suddenly about to take over, "Cobb only needs one Forger and it's gunna be me. Sleep tight, sweetheart." Eames placed a light kiss on her forehead as Raylie fought to keep her eyes open. "God damn motherfucking Brit." She managed to mumble as slumber finally overcame her. Eames chuckled,

_Eames_: 2; _Yankee with very unlady-like language_: 0

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As Raylie slipped into a chemical-induced sleep, images flashed through her mind. Bits of snapshots from past memories were shown quickly, one after another.

_A crowded club—Raylie found herself squished between a crowd of people all dancing around her. Two hands on either side of her waist made her look behind her as she grinned up at the culprit; him swaying with her to the beat of the music._

_"Having fun yet, love?" The smooth sound of Eames' accented voice filled her ears clearly, despite the loud music._

_Raylie felt herself turn to fully face him as she matched his smile. "I just didn't know you were so good on your feet Mr. Eames." Raylie replied with a chuckle as the Brit flashed an infamous smirk._

_Bending down close, while keeping his hands firmly planted on either side of her waist, Eames whispered seductively into her ear, "dancing isn't the only thing I'm good at sweetheart."_

A flash of light pulled Raylie into a new setting. This time she was detached form her body. She was looking in on her own memory, seeing herself sitting on a couch, face buried in her hands as her past self cried.

_"Hey, look at me." A soft voice; _his_ voice spoke. Raylie watched as her past self looked up at Eames as he sat next to her, a comforting hand on her back as he gave her a concerned look. _

_"It'll be alright. Don't you fret anymore." He told her softly as he wiped a stray tear from her face._

_"I know it's not my place, but I'm here for you. For anything you may need." His words were so kind that the present Raylie almost faltered. She had forgotten what it had been like before they had become less than civil towards one another._

She didn't have time to reminisce long before another flash of light emitted and the setting changed once again.

_"Oh, don't be such a spoil sport Arthur!" An amused Eames called out as a past Raylie tried to hold back her laughter._

_A very drenched Arthur cast a quick glare at the giggling Raylie before focusing his heated gaze on Eames. "Everything is a big joke with you two!" Arthur fumed as he tried to wring out the water from his soaked shirt, courtesy of his two 'colleagues' standing before him._

_"It was only a practical joke, dear. No need to get your knickers knotted." Eames tried to reason before Arthur exploded, "We are on a job! Would it kill either of you to try and be professionals!"_

_Raylie continued to quietly chuckle as Arthur raged on._

The memory ended as quick as it had begun before a new one materialized.

_A past Raylie lay in bed, under the covers, next to the Brit. Her head rested on his bare chest as her finger gently traced the outline of one of his tattoos._

_Eames, propped against the head board of the bed absently played with her hair as his other arm held her naked form close to him._

_"Is this going to last forever?" Raylie finally broke the silence, being completely serious about the question, but Eames chuckled, "Well we can try, but I'm sure we'll have to get out of this bed sooner or later. Wouldn't want the team to have to wait _that_ long." He joked as Raylie gave a snort of laughter before replying, "I'm serious! Do you think __we'll__ last?" She questioned once more, making sure to reiterate her question more clearly._

_For a moment, Eames didn't answer as he continued to absentmindedly stroke her hair. Moving her head slightly, Raylie looked up at Eames expectantly._

_Letting out a soft sigh, Eames finally replied, "Well, I suppose that will be the case. Just as long as you continue to be extraordinary in bed, my pet." Eames said with a wink. _There_ was that unmistakable charm he always managed to slide by on._

_Rolling her eyes, Raylie lifted her head up and gave him a light smack on the chest before playfully trying to move away from his grasp as if being offended by the comment._

_However, she couldn't help but giggle as Eames moved towards her, pulling himself on top of her as he then nestled his lower half between her legs, grinning down at her like a madman._

_"You have no shame." Raylie stated with a playful smile._

_"Ah, but you can't get enough of me." Came the only reply as Eames bent his head down, planting small kisses along her neck._

The moment felt so right that the dreaming Raylie felt herself audibly groan as she was brought into a new memory.

_Her past self sat on the edge of a bed inside a hotel room. She sat helpless as tears leaked down the sides of her face, watching a furious Eames pace back and forth in front of her. She was crying again, but this time Eames wasn't about to comfort her._

_"I can't even begin to believe it!" His words came out as loud shouts, showing a complete disregard for the desperate looking girl that sat before him, flinching at his yells._

_"How long?"The question was simple enough, but Raylie couldn't get herself to answer, let alone look at him. She instead focused her gaze on the carpet as Eames continued to pace._

_"I bloody well trusted you! I _cared _for you! And you go and-" He couldn't bring himself to say it. Swallowing a lump in his throat, Eames abruptly stopped his pacing to gaze down at her. "LOOK AT ME!" He exploded, causing Raylie to jump in her seat before slowly meeting his gaze._

_"You took me for a fool." Eames continued his voice now almost a whisper. It hadn't been a question, but rather a statement._

_Raylie shook her head, seeing the mixture of anger and grief in the man's eyes. "No—I never thought that. I loved y-" Her words were quickly interrupted as Eames threw his half-empty whiskey glass hard against the wall. The loud sound seemed to resonate in the small room as shards of glass fell to the floor. Raylie instantly dropped her gaze once more._

_"Don't even fucking say it." Eames commanded before grabbing his jacket. Hastily putting it on, he went for the door, "I hope you have a very happy life." He spat his words like venom before pulling open the door and leaving. _

The sound of the door slamming jolted Raylie awake. A cold sweat drenched her body as she fumbled to try and find her totem.

It had been so long. _So _long. She hadn't dreamt in years. But that hadn't been a dream. No, those were very real memories.

It was light out now, as sun peeked through the hotel window. Raylie sat up in bed, calming her heavy breathing as she took out her totem; an 1897 Swiss Franc gold coin, passed down through her father's side.

Fingering the coin nervously for a moment, Raylie flipped it in the air, watching anxiously before it landed flat on the bed. Sighing in relief, she quickly scooped up the coin and put it away.

Looking at the clock next to her, Raylie shot out of bed. "Shit!" She only had 15 minutes to get to the airport before she missed her flight. Throwing any misplaced items back into her suitcase, she quickly rummaged through the mess to try and find her plane ticket.

_Gone._

Starting to panic, she dumped all the contents of her suitcase out onto the floor, not caring about the fact that she had only just put everything away moments before. Once empty, she investigated the inner lining of the suitcase more closely. Running her fingers along the inside edge of the seam, she found the spot that was secretly another pocket hidden away. Pulling it open, she found it to be empty. _That bastard even took her passports…all seven of them..._

Being in such a lucrative business...the crime business...it was necessary to keep a collection of different passports and papers belonging to different people in order to easily change one's identity on any given day. Without them, she wouldn't be able to so much make it across one country border, let alone fly halfway across the world. And _he_ had known that.

Cursing loudly, Raylie tossed her bag away from her as she stood up. Looking around the hotel room momentarily, Raylie eyed her jacket haphazardly tossed to the floor. Picking it up and putting it on, she went to the bathroom mirror to fix her hair and reapply some makeup. After being half-satisfied with her appearance, she pulled on some shoes and went to leave the hotel room.

"Looks like it's time for Plan B..."

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**Hope you enjoyed! Please leave a review to let me know that you're still reading. Always love to hear your comments! Thanks for reading!**


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